


lie to me (be honest)

by recurrence



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Fake/Pretend Relationship, M/M, Pining, and thats all im gonna say about it, dojae are terrible
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-19
Updated: 2020-07-19
Packaged: 2021-03-05 01:54:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,530
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25376491
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/recurrence/pseuds/recurrence
Summary: Doyoung crosses his arms over his chest. “You’re not even going to ask me why I asked for you?”“Well,” Jaehyun’s still smiling as he lifts his coffee to his mouth, “You probably chose me for the same reason I’m agreeing to do it with you.”—In which Doyoung asks Jaehyun to be his fake boyfriend. He knows it’s stupid. Shut up.
Relationships: Jung Yoonoh | Jaehyun/Kim Dongyoung | Doyoung
Comments: 45
Kudos: 376





	lie to me (be honest)

**Author's Note:**

  * For [unbalancedlove](https://archiveofourown.org/users/unbalancedlove/gifts).



> if you aren’t sarah unbalancedlove please avert your eyes and skip to the story!!!
> 
> sorry i only got around to posting this a week after your birthday, but anyway! it’s finally here! this came from all the silly discussions we’ve had about dojae. i dont know a better person to talk to about this ship. actually, i dont know a better person than _you_. thank you for being my best friend for half a decade now, you’ve made my fandom experience so much more enjoyable with your presence and i wanted to give back in a way i could. so this fic. i hope this makes you happy. i love you!!!

* * *

  
  


Three months after Doyoung vows never to speak to Jung Jaehyun again, he breaks his promise.

They meet at a Starbucks near campus, seated right by the windows where passers-by caught in the city’s hustle and bustle can serve as a distraction. Or a buffer, if needed. Doyoung cradles an iced americano in his palms, trying not to think about how this overpriced drink is somehow still _too cheap_ to symbolize his pride. 

“It’s nice to see you again, hyung,” Jaehyun tells him, his dimples deepening, and Doyoung has to give him credit for sounding _almost_ sincere.

He can’t say the same, though. Jaehyun looks — well, he looks absolutely infuriating. With his perfect face, and his dimpled smile, and the knitted turtleneck he’s wearing that looks soft to the touch. Doyoung is _sick_ to his stomach as he watches the light catch in Jaehyun’s beady eyes, making them _sparkle_ stupidly, unnecessarily, and finds himself having trouble looking away from the sight.

“Here.” Doyoung pushes the cup of coffee across the table and towards Jaehyun, the gesture leaving a bitter aftertaste in his mouth. He shouldn’t be giving the bastard anything, not an opportunity to perceive him, and certainly not his go-to drink. 

It’s a life lesson of sorts, he supposes; the next time he makes an impulsive decision that bites him in the ass, _this_ is what’s gonna happen.

“Oh,” Jaehyun’s mouth parts open in surprise before stretching into a smarmy grin. It’s honestly terrible. He wraps a hand around the drink. “This isn’t poisoned, right?” he asks, which Doyoung considers as asshole for _thank you_.

He lifts his chin up in a challenge. “See for yourself.”

Jaehyun takes a tentative sip, pausing for dramatic effect because he thinks he’s funny, and then happily catches the straw again between pink lips. Doyoung definitely _isn’t_ staring. 

“I’ll make this quick,” he says, bracing his hands against the table. This whole thing really would be a lot less of a humiliation for Doyoung if he only knew how to pick his battles. Or, at least, lie better. He takes a shuddering breath and releases it along with his dreaded admission: “I need a favor.”

To Doyoung’s chagrin, Jaehyun listens to him. He lets Doyoung explain what happened to get them _here_ , not interrupting even once. Just quietly sipping at his coffee. But Doyoung won’t be easily fooled. As much as Jaehyun likes to keep up a benevolent appearance for everyone, he doesn’t usually extend the same courtesy to Doyoung. 

“I’ll do it.”

Doyoung reels back, blinking. “I beg your fucking pardon?”

Jaehyun laughs. “Of course you’d get mad that I’m willing to go along with your plan,” he shakes his head, endlessly delighted as he sets his coffee down.

Outside, spring unfolds into the streets. Cherry blossoms scatter like a daydream, and Doyoung deems it the perfect day for a stroll. Not that he likes to take walks, but if he did, he’d appreciate this weather. He inhales deeply. “I didn’t think you’d agree that fast.”

“I mean, it’s not everyday that I get asked by my ex-boyfriend to pretend we’re still together so we can go on a double date with his friend,” Jaehyun shrugs.

It’s not that Doyoung was expecting they’d get through this without touching on their past. It’s like poking on a fading bruise; it might be healed and barely there anymore, but it’s still _annoying_ to do. But Jaehyun’s always been annoying. Doyoung clenches his teeth. “Ten is _not_ my friend.”

Jaehyun raises his hands in a placating gesture. “Okay, he’s not your friend. We’re still getting drinks with him, though.”

Doyoung crosses his arms over his chest. “You’re not even going to ask me why I asked for you?”

“Well,” Jaehyun’s still smiling as he lifts his coffee to his mouth, “You probably chose me for the same reason I’m agreeing to do it with you.”

  
  
  
  


  
  
  
  


* * *

Fuck Jaehyun and his fucking perfect face.

“You did, multiple times,” Yuta unhelpfully supplies. Doyoung, sprawled on Yuta and Taeyong’s couch with his face buried against a throw pillow, turns his head to glare at him. Yuta widens his eyes. “What, I’m just saying the truth!”

Doyoung sniffs. “That was a very dark time for me.”

“You kept bragging about his amazing body.”

“Yuta, stop bullying him. He’s sensitive about that,” Taeyong chides, joining his boyfriend on the carpeted floor and handing him a triangle kimbap. Then he turns to Doyoung. “Do you want one, too?”

Doyoung shakes his head before trying to asphyxiate himself with the pillow. “I hate my life.”

“You’ll be fine, Doie,” he hears Taeyong say below him. “It’s just one night.”

And of course that’s easy for him to say. He’s not the one that’s going to be subjected to a night of Ten _and_ Jaehyun. Doyoung wails again, muffled as it is, before coming up for air.

“You know you could’ve just told Ten the truth, right?” Yuta asks, biting into his food.

“What, that I can’t stand him? Or that I’m not actually in a relationship right now?” Doyoung scowls. “Yeah, I don’t want to give him the satisfaction.”

Yuta shakes his head. “You make your life so complicated.”

“You kinda do,” Taeyong’s still chewing when he chimes in, and he takes a second to swallow before continuing. “You didn’t have to ask _Jaehyun_. I’m sure Jungwoo would be willing to pretend with you. Or either of us.”

“Now there’s an idea,” Yuta snickers, throwing kissy faces at Doyoung that makes his own face scrunch up.

“No offense, but you two can’t even say I love you to each other without wanting to spontaneously combust. I didn’t think you’d do a convincing job,” he mutters, which in retrospect, he shouldn’t have.

Taeyong chokes on his kimbap. Doyoung sits up in alarm as Taeyong thumps on his chest, all red-faced and watery eyes. Yuta fills a glass with water from the designer pitcher Johnny gave them as a housewarming present, cursing when some of it spills on the coffee table, and hands it to Taeyong.

“Dude, not cool.” Yuta shoots Doyoung a reprimanding look while rubbing Taeyong’s back soothingly. “You don’t see us calling _you_ out on your obsession with Jaehyun.”

Doyoung immediately feels his shoulders hike up. “I do _not_ have an obsession with Jaehyun!”

Taeyong makes a sound as he empties out his glass and holds up a hand as if telling them to wait for him. Doyoung and Yuta oblige. “Doyoung,” Taeyong practically heaves once he can breathe again. “You made a group chat with me and Yuta so you can provide commentary whenever Jaehyun posts on Instagram.”

“His photos are very try-hard!” Doyoung sputters.

“And yet they get thousands of likes every single time,” Yuta points out, looking at him with the sort of knowingness that makes Doyoung want to scratch his skin.

He very determinedly stares at the pillow on his lap. “Half of those were probably bought.”

In some gesture of comfort, Taeyong reaches out and squeezes Doyoung’s knee. “Look, Doie. It’s okay if you haven’t moved o —”

“I have,” Doyoung snaps, not looking up from the pillow. Unlike his _friends_ , the pillow is not a horrible traitor. “I’m over him!”

There’s a beat of silence; Yuta audibly sighs into it. Doyoung lies down on his back and shoves his very good and helpful friend the pillow against his face to let out a scream.

  
  
  
  
  


  
  
  


* * *

Here’s a confession: Doyoung only allows himself to think about his relationship with Jaehyun at certain moments. And even then, he doesn’t recount it in its fullest depths. 

Yes, they used to date. Six months, to be exact, but they’ve known each other for more than a year. They shared a class, and worked on a project, and shared some common friends. Doyoung thought Jaehyun was shitty, but attractive. Attractive, but shitty. It wasn’t a big deal until he found out Jaehyun had...similar feelings.

Their relationship was — it was steady, as far as Doyoung knew. Jaehyun walked him to his classes, and he visited Jaehyun during his and Johnny’s work hours at the campus radio. They went out for dates, they regularly fucked, and even posted _boyfriend pics_ of each other on Instagram. Sure, they bickered about the most trivial of things, and Jaehyun constantly pushed Doyoung’s buttons because he derives his entertainment out of Doyoung’s suffering, but they never had a serious fight. A real fight that ends with one of them walking out or on the verge of _hate_. Doyoung thought they were — steady. And to this day, he still doesn’t know where it went wrong. Or why Jaehyun had to end it. He didn’t really give any explanations. And Doyoung didn’t really ask for it.

Maybe he got bored. Maybe they didn’t really feel the same. Maybe the relationship was supposed to be like a firework; no matter how exciting it was, it was still bound to fizzle out sooner or later.

  
  
  
  


  
  
  


* * *

In _Business Ethics_ class, Johnny leans sideways in his chair in the lecture hall to whisper to Doyoung. “Hey, I heard you and Jae are going out tomorrow night.”

Doyoung shouldn’t be surprised that Johnny already knows; not only does he like to know everybody’s business, he’s also friends with Jaehyun. Of course he knows. “It’s just a one-time thing.”

“A one-time thing?” Johnny repeats, eyebrows knitting together. “So you two aren’t back together yet?”

“ _Yet_?” Doyoung asks. Someone in front of them turns and shoots them an annoyed look, but Doyoung ignores her. “I wasn’t aware that we were getting back together. Where did you even get that idea?”

Johnny shrugs, sheepish. “I dunno, just wishful thinking, I guess.”

Doyoung blinks, unsure how to respond to that. Between Yuta and Taeyong insisting he still has _feelings_ for Jaehyun, and Johnny thinking he and Jaehyun should get back together, he really needs a break. Or just new friends. 

“Maybe just focus on manifesting you and Taeil hyung together instead,” he says, not unkindly.

“Already done with that, my man.”

Doyoung raises an eyebrow. “He finally gave in to your charms?”

“Only after a year and a half,” Johnny grins.

And isn’t that admirable? Letting yourself want someone so much and chase them no matter how long it takes, how vulnerable you may appear to be. Doyoung’s surprise gives way to a smile, small but sincere. “I’m happy for you.”

  
  
  


  
  
  


* * *

_I’m already here out front, bunny. See you soon x_

Doyoung contemplates blocking Jaehyun’s number as he steps out of the elevator. He pockets his phone when he spots Jaehyun by the front doors of their shared apartment building, wearing a white shirt and a tweed blazer, and looking every bit like the clichéd second lead in a romantic drama that never gets the girl.

“Hey,” Jaehyun beams at him.

See, the problem with Jaehyun is his face. Actually, Doyoung has a lot of problems with Jaehyun, but this one takes precedence over everything else. His face, his soft cheeks, his jawline, the way his eyes disappear into crescents when he smiles too wide. The problem is that Doyoung’s used to his face, used to every plane and every feature, but then Jaehyun would do something dumb like light up when he sees Doyoung and he’d look so stunning for a second that Doyoung would _feel_ like an idiot. Even now.

Jaehyun tilts his big head to the side. “What? Why are you looking at me like that?”

“Like what? I’m not looking at you!” Doyoung huffs, walking past him and ignoring the way Jaehyun’s deep laugh reverberates somewhere in between his ribs.

“Hey, tell me something about Ten,” Jaehyun says, later, as they walk to the train station.

Doyoung glances at him through the corner of his eye. The light from the streetlamp has thrown Jaehyun’s side profile into sharp relief, all pale and marble-like. The night breeze squints through his bangs. “He’s an assault to my blood pressure and self-control.”

“Sounds like my new hero,” Jaehyun snorts, leaning closer. The fabric of his blazer brushes against Doyoung’s sweater. 

Something in Doyoung’s chest clenches. He doesn’t know if it’s because this is their first physical contact, or if it’s because of the _ease_ with which familiarity slips into them...post-break up. He knows it hurts, though; this twinge. It lingers for a second, as Doyoung lets that hairbreadth of space between them shrink into nothing and then he’s edging away.

  
  
  


  
  
  


* * *

The only thing stopping Doyoung’s hands from cutting off Ten’s airway is Qian Kun.

Kind face, soft eyes, patient smile no doubt developed under the constant stress of dealing with a nuisance like Ten for a boyfriend. Doyoung feels sorry for him; he could definitely do so much better than Ten.

The four of them are sat around a table in a rooftop bar overlooking Hongdae’s nightlife. High-rise buildings dot the city’s skyline, and below, the busy streets gleam with lights, all golden and neon bright. Jaehyun’s laugh rings above the music and the bar din, eating up everything Ten is saying. And the demon has _a lot_ to say; he’s kept dirt on Doyoung from their high school days.

“He sang a ballad version of Lady Gaga’s _Poker Face_ in a bid to win the Student Council elections,” Ten recounts with a shit-eating grin. “But he still lost to some guy who showed his abs!”

Doyoung grits his teeth. “You voted for him, Ten.”

“So did most of the student population.”

Beside him, Jaehyun covers Doyoung’s hand with his own. Doyoung’s eyes flick down to see Jaehyun’s fingers on full display, long and slender and delicate, and resists the urge to do something stupid like snatch his hand back, or worse, turn up his palm and intertwine their fingers together. He reaches for his drink with his free hand as Jaehyun tells him, “I would’ve voted for you, Doie.”

The alcohol burns a line down Doyoung’s throat. “In your case, you would’ve been my rival who showed his abs.”

“Oh,” Jaehyun’s grinning, which is not good. He looks absolutely horrible. “So _you_ would’ve voted for me, then.”

“Just because of your body?” Doyoung scoffs. “I’m not that easy.”

Jaehyun leans closer, eyes shining with mean wit. Doyoung swallows; he knows he’s cornered, he knows that Jaehyun knows. But before the asshole can tease him further, Kun interjects, smiling, “You two are so cute. How long have you been together?”

Doyoung grabs the question like a lifeline. “Nine months,” he replies at the same time Jaehyun says the same thing. He hopes the surprise doesn’t show on his face.

“Nearly a year already.” Ten looks impressed enough that Doyoung feels like gloating. “How did a cutie like you even end up with someone like _him_ ,” he pouts, tilting his chin towards Doyoung.

Jaehyun laughs. Doyoung sends Ten the flattest look he can muster. “And how did Kun-ssi end up with someone like _you_.”

“I ask myself the same thing every day,” Kun tells him, face transforming into something cheeky as he lifts his drinks to his mouth. Doyoung blinks, feeling like that time he got a lasik eye surgery and saw everything with a renewed vision; he finally gets how Ten and Kun work.

“He’s the most annoying person I know,” Kun continues with a smile. “One time, while we were taking a break from working on our report, he offered to open this can of Coke I had but only so he could drink half of it. He doesn’t even _drink_ Coke!”

“Yeah, and you’ve been head over heels for me ever since,” Ten preens. Kun tilts his head to Doyoung as if to say, _see what I have to deal with?_

A sudden bout of kinship surges through Doyoung. It’s warm and pleasant and jarring enough that he finds himself blurting out: “Jaehyun’s annoying, too.” The most annoying, in fact. Especially with his thigh pressed gently against Doyoung’s under the table. “I don’t even know why I like him.”

Jaehyun stiffens. Doyoung turns to him just in time to catch the surprise in his face smooth itself into a teasing smile. “I only annoy you because you look cute when you’re pissed off.” Then, he looks away and takes a big gulp of his own drink. “And because I like having your attention.”

Doyoung feels like he may be having a heartburn. Any second now he’s going to vomit all over from the shit he’s saying, and from the shit Jaehyun’s saying, and he’ll embarrass himself in front of Kun so he’ll have to cease to exist. Right _now_.

Ten clicks his tongue. “Jaehyun, you really need to raise your standards.”

  
  
  


  
  
  


* * *

Ten enters the restroom while Doyoung’s washing his hands in the sink. 

“You know when you told me you have a boyfriend I thought you were lying,” he says, leaning on the counter, back turned on the mirrors. “You’re, like, the shittiest liar I know.”

Doyoung pumps the liquid soap dispenser with too much force. “And you’re just plain shitty.”

Ten laughs. “Is that how you swept Jaehyun off his feet? Because he looks pretty swept off. Your _boyfriend_. Oh my god.”

Doyoung takes a moment to give himself a mental pat on the back, relishing the success of his Make-Ten-Believe-I-Have-A-Boyfriend plan. Ha, in his face. He might’ve shot himself in the foot by making up a lie when Ten ambushed him in the convenience store that one night, but he’d managed to put a bandage on it pretty well. He’s just not going to be examining the damage closely; he has his friends with their prying eyes for that.

“Are you being smug right now?” Ten peers closer at his face. “You do know you’re worse, right? The way you look at him...it’s _gross_!”

The sweet taste of success in Doyoung’s tongue turns nasty in an instant. It’s the usual Ten experience. Doyoung rubs his digits clean and turns on the faucet. “I don’t think you have any room to say that when you look like you’re about to go down on your knees everytime Kun opens his mouth.”

Ten’s grin turns into a leer. “ _Well…_ ”

Doyoung grimaces and flicks water right at his face. “You’re disgusting, get away from me.”

“Hey!” Ten laughs again. Doyoung wonders if there’s something wrong with his head. “Doyoung, do you know that Paul Rudd meme? Because look at us, who would’ve thought, not _me_.”

Doyoung rolls his eyes. Yeah, there’s something wrong with Ten’s head, alright.

  
  
  


  
  
  


* * *

“That was the worst experience of my life. I’m never doing that again,” Doyoung says after he and Jaehyun bid goodbye to Kun and Ten.

Jaehyun’s checking his Kakao T app but he looks up to smile at Doyoung. “I had fun. I think Ten is funny.”

“You think anyone making fun of me is funny.” Doyoung huffs. “Anyway, you were pretty convincing back there. If Marketing doesn’t pan out for you, you could always try being an actor.”

It’s as if the temperature drops along with Jaehyun’s good mood. Doyoung can feel it, can feel the sudden silence weigh on his shoulders, and he wishes the taxi would _hurry up_.

“I wasn’t acting, Doyoung.” His voice is too quiet. Doyoung feels like shivering. “You asked me to be your pretend boyfriend but none of that was pretend to me.”

Doyoung has a greenhouse in his chest, where he grows and houses all these _things_ into potted plants so he can pick them apart, when he wants to. Things like friendship, a cast-iron plant that can withstand just about anything; and happiness, a yucca that needs the sun; and honesty, a rubber plant that’s simple and fuss-free, presenting itself the way it is. There’s also love, an anthurium that thrives in a bright and warm spot; and pining, an English ivy that reaches out but also stays where it is; and anger, a barrel cactus that intimidates with its spines. That’s what Doyoung holds onto when he blurts out: “Then why did you break up with me?”

Jaehyun’s smile is sad. “Because I was tired of wondering if you felt the same way I did. I was never sure, you know? Because you never told me. Tonight was actually the first I ever heard you say you like me.”

Doyoung bites his tongue before he can deny he said it by instinct. 

“I keep thinking maybe you’re just emotionally constipated, but then you were pretty good with words in your letters for Taeyong hyung and Yuta hyung on Christmas.” Jaehyun shoves his hands in his pockets. “So I thought maybe it was one-sided, and then you confirmed it when I said I wanted to break up. You didn’t even ask me _why_ , you just...agreed.”

It’s funny how in the face of an honest confrontation he initiated, Doyoung suddenly can’t find the words to say anything. It’s funny how the taxi chooses to arrive that moment, simultaneously having the best and worst timing. No one’s laughing, though. Doyoung is stunned silent, still taking it all in, and Jaehyun is sighing. He pats Doyoung on the back as he slips in the back of the car.

They’re silent for the entire length of the ride.

  
  
  


  
  
  


* * *

Doyoung opens his apartment to find Mark and Donghyuck on the couch. He honestly doesn’t know who’s more surprised.

“Hyung!” Mark yelps, scrambling to look decent and accidentally pushing Donghyuck off his lap and down the floor.

“Ow, _what the fuck_ ,” Donghyuck groans. He sits up slowly and blinks at Doyoung. “What are you doing here?”

“This is my apartment?” Doyoung gapes at them. He wants to rush to the bathroom and bleach his eyes. He has just been through a stressful experience, and now he’s here witnessing a harrowing one. “I should be asking the two of you that. Shouldn’t you be in your dorm? How did you even get in?”

“Hyuck made a duplicate of your key,” Mark answers sheepishly at the same time Donghyuck grins, “We were hungry.”

Doyoung crosses his arms over his chest. “This is still trespassing.”

Donghyuck climbs back onto the couch and settles besides Mark. The both of them look rumpled. “You’re deflecting, hyung,” he says with a dismissive wave of his hand. “Why are you _here_? Shouldn’t you be dicking down Jaehyun hyung right now?”

Mark turns to his boyfriend with a horrified face. Doyoung can’t blame him. “ _Hyuck_.”

“What?” Donghyuck flutters his eyelashes in a disgusting imitation of an innocent face. Then, he turns to Doyoung with raised eyebrows. “Well? Did your date flop? Is that it?”

Doyoung suddenly feels like he’s on the stand for a trial under Donghyuck’s expectant eyes. “It went fine. It wasn’t even a _date_ and also — why does everyone keep expecting me and Jaehyun to get back together?”

Donghyuck and Mark exchange glances, always in their own world, effectively casting out anyone who isn’t them. “You’ve been pining for months,” Donghyuck soon replies while Mark nods along in agreement.

In another time, Doyoung would plead _not guilty_ , but Jaehyun’s confession is still ringing in his head, voice quiet but piercing. His hands fall limp at his sides and he sighs, heading over the couch to collapse on it. Mark and Donghyuck make space. “It’s no use. We’re not good together.”

“Why do you say that, hyung?” Mark frowns.

“Because it’s true? We’re too different, we can’t communicate, it’s a disaster.”

Donghyuck snorts. “So what? Mark hyung and I have basically nothing in common. And we haven’t killed each other.”

“ _Yet_ ,” Mark quips.

Doyoung considers that. He’s been a spectator of the Mark and Donghyuck saga for _years_ now: the mutual crushes, the constant tension, the fights, and the inevitable get-together. Doyoung has witnessed them go through everything — the horrible _and_ the heaven sent. Together, Mark and Donghyuck are a disaster in the making, and together, they work at it anyway. It’s admirable to see as it is humbling.

“I think it really isn’t a matter of difference,” Donghyuck says, pulling Doyoung out of his reverie. “You just have to be willing to meet in the middle. Do something you usually wouldn’t because your boyfriend is more important than your pride.”

“Yo, that’s actually, like, so insightful,” Mark laughs. Donghyuck ignores him, facing Doyoung completely. It’s the most serious Doyoung has ever seen him, and he’s suddenly confronted with the realization that Donghyuck has grown up.

“Don’t make the same mistake twice, hyung.”

Doyoung shakes his head, but there’s a smile threatening to spread on his face. “I can’t believe I’m getting advice from a brat.” 

Said brat pushes him off the couch. “Yeah, well. You’d be stupid not to take it.”

  
  
  


  
  
  


* * *

In all honesty, he really doesn’t know what he’s going to say.

But maybe that’s just it. Maybe all he needs is honesty.

Jaehyun opens the door while Doyoung’s catching his breath. He’s chosen to run up two flights of stairs instead of taking the elevator to give himself more time to prepare. Steel his nerves, brace himself, the works.

“I wish you told me what you were thinking instead of keeping it to yourself,” Doyoung blurts out. His heart is trying to beat itself right out of his ribcage. “Because that’s the thing with you, _Jung Jaehyun_. You pretend everything is okay. You keep this veneer of _perfection_ when you don’t need to, and it’s so damn annoying.”

Jaehyun blinks. Doyoung takes this time to push himself and Jaehyun inside, closing the door behind him. He takes a deep breath, and it helps, but it’s still hard to say the next part aloud. “You’re so annoying. You act like nothing’s bothering you and expect me to just _know_ what you want. But if you want us to work, you have to actually tell me stuff. And in exchange, I’ll do my best to accommodate.”

“Are you…” Jaehyun licks his lips. “Are you trying to get back together with me?”

Doyoung lifts his chin up, haughty. “What does it look like I’m doing?”

Daringly, Jaehyun takes a step towards Doyoung, pinning him against the hardwood of the door. He’s smiling, the absolute asshole. “Say it, then.”

“Say what,” and it’s a feat that Doyoung’s voice came out steady. The warmth from Jaehyun pressing his body against his is making him _delirious_. It’s mortifying, and so is the urge to push Jaehyun closer, as if they aren’t close enough as it is.

Jaehyun’s hand comes up to cup Doyoung’s cheek, the other resting on Doyoung’s waist. “I can’t kiss you until you say it, Doyoung.”

“You’re a fucking menace,” Doyoung glares, but it’s weak. It’s futile. He gives up in the end. “I like you, you fucker.”

Jaehyun’s laugh melts into Doyoung’s open mouth. Doyoung tilts his head and loses himself in the kiss, wrapping his arms around Jaehyun’s thick neck. He can feel the smile as Jaehyun returns his kiss with the same amount of fervor; it tastes sweet, like the promise of a new beginning.

Jaehyun pulls away, but doesn’t lift his mouth from the near-proximity. His breath intermingles with Doyoung’s as he says, “I like you, too, by the way.”

“Just shut up and kiss me again.”

**Author's Note:**

> fun fact: this fic was supposed to be gifted last year, but then it turned out 2019 was terrible for me, writing-wise. i never managed to post anything i was working on. this fic went through soooo many changes lmao in the earlier versions, it wasn’t supposed to be a date, but kunten’s wedding. and it was supposed to alternate between doyoung’s and jaehyun’s perspectives. i enjoyed writing doyoung too much, though. i love dramatic emotionally constipated for jaehyun doyoung. i think he’s the best. let me know what u think ♡


End file.
